Evaluation of the Levels of Lead and Cadmium of Iranian and Imported Rice in Kermanshah in 2016

Background & Aims of the Study: One of the concerns of the human is pollution of food products such as rice to heavy metals. It is a fact that rice is one of the most consumed items in the diet of Iranian people, this study was conducted to evaluate the levels of lead and cadmium of Iranian and imported rice in Kermanshah in 2016.
This descriptive- analytical and cross sectional study is conducted in Kermanshah in 2016. In this study, 30 Iranian and imported rice samples were selected and sampled. The concentrations of heavy metals (lead and cadmium) samples collected using ICP-OES machine were read and compared with the standard values of Food and Drug Administration and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) standard. In this study one-sample t-test and SPSS software (version 16) was applied to analyzed the data. The significance level in all tests was considered (α=0.05).
The results showed that the average cadmium in the imported rice and Iranian rice were 1.318 ±0.158 ppm and 1.191 ±0.834, respectively, which is compared with the standard of Food and Drug Administration and the standard level of FAO were higher. Also, the average lead in the imported rice was 8.889 ppm with a standard deviation of 12.179 and 8.659 ppm with a standard deviation of 8.143 in Iranian rice compared with the standard of Food and Drug Administration and the standard level of FAO were higher and the difference was statistically significant.
The comparison of lead and cadmium heavy metals concentrations with the standard level suggested that concentration of these metals in Iranian and imported rice was recommended in 100% of samples above the standard level. Considering the cumulative effects of heavy metals and its adverse effects on human societies, as well as the threat of food security needs to be paid special attention and periodic studies should be undertaken to provide more comprehensive information.